


Remembering Home

by Writingfish (idraax)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Original Characters - Freeform, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-13 08:33:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11180988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idraax/pseuds/Writingfish
Summary: Severaas Strand wasn't expecting to get involved with Harry Potter and his friends. But with the petrification of Miss. Norris came memories and he knew he had to help.A series of snippets in which the Founders are reincarnated as OC's in Harry's year.





	1. In which Severaas remembers

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first time writing HP fic and I remember nearly nothing about the books and have thrown canon out of the window. Be gentle with me please, but all feedback is welcome.

“No wonder the hat laughed when I said I wanted Gryffindor.”

Memory swirled in his mind, a deep pain threatening to drag him down into its depths.

 _I failed you,_ he thought. _Oh, how I failed y_ _ou._

“What,” three voices said and Severaas blinked. Memory whispered in his ear and he shoved it away. Now was not the time.

Potter and his friends looked between him and the petrified cat, opening their mouths to speak.

“Don’t worry, she’s only petrified. Its fixable.”

_“I can’t believe we’re considering sticking a basilisk in the school,” Rowena snapped.  
_

_“At least it’s better than the dragon,” Helga muttered to Salazar as they watched their friends argue.  
_

“There’s a basilisk in the school,” he whispered to himself, shoving the memory away. Later, he’d deal with it later.

“What,” the trio said and Severaas glanced around, stones warming at his feet. 

“Never mind,” he said to them, grabbing Harry’s arm. “We can’t stay here. The feast will be over soon.” 

Harry opened his mouth, then shut it as Severaas tugged at his arm.

“ _Come on_ ,” he hissed and Harry’s eyes widened.

“ _How_ ,” he began.

Severaas gritted his teeth.

“I’ll explain. I promise. But right now, we have to _leave_.”

He tugged harder on Harry’s arm and dragged him down the corridor and into an empty classroom. His friends hesitated in the doorway and Severaas groaned, grabbing the girl by the arm and tugging her in.

“Do you want answers or not?”

She scowled at him, but moved to stand beside Harry without protest. The redhead followed, opening his mouth to protest.

“Shhh, Ron,” the girl whispered and Severaas realized that he would have to remember their names if he was going to get involved. What a way to start the school year.


	2. Severaas and Rowena meet

Severaas ran into Rowena just outside the library. They slammed together, going down in a tangle of black. He got to his feet first, holding out a hand and freezing.

“ _Rowena?_ ”

She stared at him for a long moment before flinging herself at him. They went down in a tangle again. Thankfully the corridor was empty. Curfew had just ended and absolutely no student would be awake at such an hour.

“ _Salazar_ ,” she gasped.

_Blood dripped onto the rune in the middle of the circle, running down from his wrists. The wood of the door creaked as the pounding on its surface grew more intense. He muttered another word and the bottom half of the circle light up. The door splintered._

_“You died,”_ Rowena was mumbling as the cold of the stone soaked into them both. “You died and we saw and I thought I was _the only one_ who remembered!”

“Sorry,” Severaas said quietly. The pain was back, sinking its barbs into his lungs. The grief and hope of the memory still clouded his head and it took him a long time to realize that Rowena had gotten up and was holding out a hand. 

“Thanks,” he said, taking it. He straightened out his robes and hesitated. He wasn’t due to meet Potter and the others until breakfast, so perhaps he could…

“Call me Ragna,” Rowena said, smiling at him. “That’s my name now.”

He smiled back, hope easing away the barbs. Maybe they could repair whatever had broken their relationship in the first place.

“Severaas,” he said, bowing. He only hoped that he could live up to his name.


	3. In which Severaas decides to teach

In the present, Hogwart’s library was not the most welcoming place. In the past, there had been a steady whisper as students asked each other questions or read aloud from their textbooks. Now, under the cutting glare of Madam Pince, there was only the rustle of pages turning.

Severaas frowned at the book in front of him and made a sharp note on the piece of parchment by his right elbow. Ink splattered, obscuring most of what he had written. He growled and scratched it out. Hadn’t wizards ever heard of fountain pens? They were easy to use on both lined paper _and_ parchment. His father loved them. He’d have to ask him to send some.

He made another note. In front of him, Potter shifted and opened his mouth, then closed it for the fifth time. Severaas sighed and looked up.

“Well?” he whispered. 

Potter swallowed. “I want you to teach me Parseltongue.”

Severaas had to lean in close to hear him and Potter turned his head, glancing rapidly around.

“I was wondering when you were going to ask me.”

Severaas shut the book with a quiet puff of dust and rose from the table.

“Come on,” he said. “We’re certainly not doing it here.”

* * *

 

“Longbottom,” Sevevaas said, gesturing to the empty seat next to him, “ you’re with me today.”

It was only after a smile from Granger, that Longbottom sat next to him. Severaas gave her a nod and turned to Longbottom, attempting to give him a smile. Longbottom paled and he frowned. It looked like Godric might have been right about his smiles scaring the students.

The lesson passed quietly. As usual, Snape had written the ingredients and the potion name, nothing else. How had that man not been fired yet? They were only second years. In Salazar’s previous life, it was only the seventh years who brewed potions without instructions.

“Err Severaas,” Longbottom said, stretching the a like taffy and nearly cutting off the s, “your spoon is sparking.”

One of the silver sparks jumped from the spoon handle and landed on Severaas’ robe. Quickly, he snuffed it out and then glanced around the room. Snape was correcting Seamus and Dean’s potion and hadn’t appeared to notice them.

“Apologies,” he said and made the requisite number of stirs before adding in the powdered bicorn horn. 

“Are you alright,” Longbottom asked, nearly tipping in the diced porcupine quills. 

“I’ll be fine” - Severaas moved his hand away - ”It needs to sit for a moment _before_ we add the quills in.”

“Sorry,” Longbottom said, before tipping the quills in at Severaas’ nod.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll go over the potion with you during our study session tonight.”

Longbottom blinked at him and Severaas grinned, the sharp smile that had sent chills down his father’s spine before his castle was razed to dust.

“ _I_ intend to help you pass Longbottom _. You_ are going to show Snape that he cannot grind you into dust. That man is a terrible teacher and you are going to prove him wrong.”

Longbottom stared and for a moment Severaas thought he had lapsed into Parseltongue or Mercian, but Longbottom gave him a tentative smile. Well, it would be good to teach again.


	4. Severaas and Helga

Heike paused as Salazar walked into the kitchens. The steady sound of knives chopping onions behind her reminded her of where they were. Before, Salazar would never have been caught in the kitchens during the day.

“Salazar?”

She stepped forward, the eyes of the elves settling like bricks on her shoulders. Salazar flinched, glancing back at the door before stepping in.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Heike snorted. How long had he spent lurking near the kitchens or had he gotten one of the elves to tell him when she appeared? The kitchens weren’t the only place she could be found.

“Here I am,” she said. “What do you want?”

_“We have to let their families know where they are. They’re family!”  
_

_Helga glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. Behind her one of the tapestries caught fire._

_“That won’t matter to them,” Salazar said. “They’ll kill anyone who they think has magic!”_

Heike shoved it away. She didn’t want to remember that now. That argument had only lead to their family breaking apart.

Salazar swallowed, then reached for his wand. Heike tensed, half-drawing her own out of her sleeve. His wand was whitish-brown, so different than the snakeskin patterned one he had last.

He took at step forward, wand pointing towards the floor. She drew her own out fully, pointing it at him.

“Stay back”

He ignored her, raising his wand and setting it upon a nearby counter. The knife, still chopping the onions, nearly sliced his fingers. He turned to face her.

“I’m sorry,” he said, letting her see the weariness that had sunken into his soul. “I wanted to let you know.”

He turned to leave, wand still on the counter.

_“I’ll leave then,” Salazar snapped, turning his back on them and striding towards the open doors.  
_

_“Good,” Godric said, sword half-drawn. “Don’t come back”  
_

_“Godric, no,” Helga whispered, grabbing his arm. “You can’t-”  
_

_“It’s already done, Helga,” Godric snapped, yanking his arm away from her grasp. “If he wants to join his father, so be it.”  
_

_“Wait,” Rowena yelled, tripping over her robes before picking the up and running. Salazar hesitated, turning to look at them. Godric glared at him.  
_

_“We won’t have a dark lord in this castle.”  
_

_Helga never wanted to see that look on Salazar’s face again. Rowena reached out to grasp his arm, but he stepped back, through the doorway._

_“Goodbye,” he said, turning his back on them again. He didn’t look back as he made his way to the gates._

“ _No_ ,” Heike snapped, practically running to yank him back, away from the door. “You’re not _leaving_ , not again. I don’t care about the argument. You left us!”

“I came back,” he protested. 

“Only to die!” 

She grabbed his shoulders and shook him lightly. Rowena should have been here; she was always better at talking Salazar into making promises.

“You’re _never_ going to do that again. Promise me.”

He shook his head.

“I can’t. You know that.”

The hole that had been in her since she remembered widened. Would they be able to repair what they had?

She clenched her teeth, hissing out a breath before letting go and stepping back. She alone wouldn’t be able to break through Salazar’s stubbornness. She took a few breaths, sending calming smiles towards the house elves who were clustered together in a corner. The knives behind her never stopped their work.  

She took his wand from the counter and held it out.

“You nearly forgot this.” 

She forced calmness into her voice and her posture.

“Helga, I -”

“Take it and _go_ ”

She turned her head, watching as a knife scraped cut onion into a large stove-pot.

He sighed, but took his wand and left. The chasm between them grew wider.


	5. In which the basilisk petrifies another person

Lightning flashed on the ceiling of the Great Hall as clouds obscured some of the stars. 

“You always have the most wonderful enchantments,” Heike said, taking a bite of her potatoes. 

“Thanks,” Ragna said. “I’m surprised its lasted this long actually.”

Heike snorted, earning herself a few startled looks from the Ravenclaws surrounding them. “You, not knowing how long a spell lasts? Who are you and why did you replace Rowena?”

Ragna gave her a flat look. 

“I didn’t anchor it properly, you know that. It must have gotten -”

“There’s been another one,” Severaas said, dropping into the spot besides Heike, who glared at him and shifted away. Severaas’ fingers tightened on his wand. 

“Who?”

“A sixth-year Slytherin, Garner or something. I heard the professors talking about it -” he scowled - “unfortunately, they noticed me.”

By now, the rest of the Ravenclaws had noticed their conversation, but a sharp glare from Severaas meant that none of them approached. Above them all, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed again. 

“We have to do something,” Heike hissed, still glaring at Severaas. “I thought you told her _not_ to attack the students.”

_“I would like it noted that this is a terrible idea,” Salazar said, as the small basilisk slithered up his arm.  
_

_“Just tell…err…”  
_

_“Her,” Salazar sighed.  
_

_“-her not to eat the students,” Godric said, reaching out to the basilisk, who was now curling around Salazar’s throat.  
_

_“Don’t touch her,” he snapped, moving out of Godric’s reach.  
_

_“We’ll need someplace to keep her,” Helga said. Unlike Godric, she and Rowena were on the other side of the table, well out of the basilisk’s reach.  
_

_“The existing rooms are too small,” Salazar said, still sidestepping Godric’s hands. “She’ll grow quite a bit.”  
_

_Rowena smiled and Salazar fought the urge to shiver. The last time Rowena had smiled like that, they had wound up building an entire castle, which was showing signs of sentience._

_“Why don’t we build her a chamber, far beneath the castle?”_

Severaas got to his feet. The gap of silence in the conversation around them, meant that his words carried. 

“I did tell you all it was a bad idea,” he said. “Now, look where we are. _I_ will be the one to fix this. Don’t _interfere.”_

“What was that about,” one of the Ravenclaws, Brocklehurst, asked as they all watched Severaas stalk away. She was ignored as Ragna and Heike turned to look at each other, a shared glance of consternation passed between them. This was going to be a rough year. 


	6. In which Severaas takes a walk

Quiet footsteps echoed in stone corridors and memories bubbled up with every turn. Fourteen nights of searching and Severaas still hadn’t found it. He groaned and leaned against a wall. The stone warmed against his forehead.

_“Is it to your liking?” Salazar said as he set the snake down on the floor. The large, ugly, statue of his father was Godric’s idea of a joke. Salazar wanted to blast it into pieces, but it was one of the structural supports and he’d bring down both the ceiling and Rowena’s ire if he did._

_“It will do,” the basilisk said, tongue flickering out.  
_

_“We should name her,” Godric said, as he walked towards them waving his wand in large sweeping arcs. The stones above them glowed briefly as the magic sank into them. There’d be no risk of the ceiling falling apart now._

_“We’ve finished warding the entrances,” Helga said, her voice carrying. The basilisk raised her head a little, then lowered it, curling up near the base of the statue._

Severaas thumped his forehead against the stone wall. There were four entrances and he hadn’t even found a single one. 

“What happened to the entrances? I don’t suppose you know,” he said to the castle. 

Wind brushed against his face, carrying the rich thrum of the castle’s magic. Light condensed into an orb which bobbed a little ways to his left. 

‘Follow,’ the wind whispered as the orb moved further away. 

Severaas blinked, moving away from the wall.

“You can _talk_? How aware are you? Oh, Rowena will be thrilled!”

The orb flared and sped up. Severaas ran after. 

“Alright,” he panted. “Slow down, I’m coming.”

He followed the orb, ducking into a nearby classroom as Filch came around the corner, muttering to himself. The orb hovered near his shoulder and he held his breath as Filch drew closer. The caretaker paused in front of the door and the orb dimmed. Magic ran through the stone and a thump echoed through the corridor. Filch cackled, rushing away to confront the miscreant who had broken curfew. 

“Thank you,” Severaas whispered and slipped out of the classroom. 

The orb led him to a bathroom on the second floor. Severaas stopped. The orb bobbed impatiently. 

“That’s a _girl’s_ bathroom. I’m not going in there!” 

Never mind that it was two in the morning, he had _principles_. The orb brightened, flickering angrily. 

“I refuse,” Severaas hissed. 

The orb brightened further rising like a miniature sun.

“Are you trying to get me caught?” 

Severaas backed away, picking up his robes. He had never worn robes much in his first life and even after wearing them all of last year, he still wasn’t used to them. 

“Who’s there,” Filch called, from the other end of the corridor, squinting in the light. He started forward and Severaas grasped the door handle. 

“Fine,” he snapped. “I’m going in.”

The orb flared again, blinding the corridor. He pulled the door open as Filch started to run. The orb collapsed in on itself, all the light vanishing in an instant and he pulled the door shut behind him. 

Severaas blinked rapidly, moving further into the bathroom, quickly locking the door behind him with a whispered spell. The sound of sobbing stopped and a ghost stuck its head out of the furthest stall. 

“You’re a boy!”

“Quiet!”

Severaas looked around frantically as the doorknob rattled. The ghost cackled. 

“Naughty boy,” it said. “Out after curfew.”

“A little help please,” Severaas said to the castle. The doorknob rattled again and loud cursing came from behind it. 

“Just you wait,” Filch yelled. “I’ll get Professor Snape!’

“Please,” Severaas whispered. 

A sudden wind rattled the pipes and the ghost yelped, disappearing into a nearby toilet with a splash. On the opposite side, in the far corner, one of the taps glowed green. 

“Thank you,” Severaas whispered, dashing towards it. He slipped on a puddle and slid straight into it. 

“Ow!” 

He stumbled back, clapping a hand to his forehead. Blinking, his eyes focused on the tab. There in glowing green was an engraving of a snake. 

“ _Clever_ ”

He leaned towards it. 

“ _Open_ ,” he said. 

The sink groaned and dust rose up in a large cloud. He coughed and stumbled backwards, feet slipping on the tile. Waving away the smoke, he could see a large pipe disappearing into the dark. Well, that was new. 


	7. The Chamber

In the darkness water dripped. The pipe shot Severaas out with a splash and he got to his feet with a groan. His robes felt heavy when he moved and something soaked through his socks. 

“Lumos,” he muttered, raising his wand. 

The shadows curled away, condensing in on themselves to form a black pool that obscured the rest of the corridor. He glanced down at his robes. The slime had soaked into them and even with a banishing charm, they were beyond help. He’d have to ask the house elves for one of his spares. 

He turned in a circle, waving his wand around. A large stone wall loomed on his left. He was at the end of the corridor and the only way to go was right. 

He started forward, the ground squelching with every step. Wet slime and musk clogged his nose and he coughed, eyes watering. He should have paid more attention to Helga’s suggestions. He was sure she had mentioned something about vents. 

He made his way through the maze, moving his wand closer to the walls to see the faint snake engravings. Finally, he came to a large door engraved with a large black snake which was biting its own tail. 

“ _Open_ ”

The snake’s eyes glowed silver as it let go of its tail and slithered to the right. The door swung open with a loud creak and he stepped into the chamber. 

Sometime over the years, the chamber had flooded. The ugly statue of Severaas’ father was, unfortunately, still intact. It’s bust rose from the water, towering over the rest of the chamber. The charms they had placed on the pillars had lasted. The carved wood and stone still retained their polish. 

“ _Who is there?_ ” the basilisk hissed, raising its head from its spot in the statue’s lap. “ _You smell familiar_.”

“ _It’s nice to meet you_ ,” Severaas said. “ _My name is Severaas Strand and yours?_ ”

His fragmented memories had given him no clue as to the basilisk’s name and he could only hope that Godric hadn’t named her. 

“ _Hello child_ ,” the basilisk said. “ _I am Shamira_. _It has been a long time since someone asked me my name._ ”

Ah, Rowena had named her. He couldn’t remember the names Godric had suggested, but he knew they had rejected every single one. Godric had named Hogwarts after all. 

“ _May I ask you something?_ ”

She lowered her head, body coiling up tighter. 

“ _You want to know about the students._ ”

“ _Yes_ ”

The basilisk’s tongue flickered out. Severaas found a dry spot on the floor and sat down. The damp wouldn’t matter. His robes were already ruined anyway. 

“ _A descendant came_ ,” the basilisk said. “ _He came and wanted me to kill the magbobs, the muggle born. He was much like my master, charming. I refused as I was put here for protection not for killing. But he did something and I…_ ”

“ _She saw you_ ,” Severaas said, softly.  There were rumors of a girl, killed when the chamber was rumored to have last opened. It was said that her ghost still lingered. The basilisk’s silence was answer enough.    

“ _Your magic smells like my master’s_ ,” the basilisk said. There was the sound of scales shifting on stone and the basilisk slithered closer. Severaas shut his eyes and rose from the floor, wand raising. A ringing sound came from the depths of his robe and the basilisk hissed, recoiling. 

“ _Apologies_ ,” Severaas said, digging the transfigured alarm clock out. “ _I must go. It’s almost time for breakfast._ ”

He turned and moved towards the entrance, careful to avoid the wet areas. 

“ _Will you come visit?_ ”

The sheer loneliness inherent in the question made his lungs lock up. It was what dying had felt like, all those years ago. He closed his eyes against the memory, locking it away. He couldn’t handle that one yet. 

“ _I will_ ,” he promised and left.


	8. Chapter 8

“She killed a student,” Severaas blurted out in a low whisper. 

Ragna closed her book and put it on the table. The bronze bookmark next to her lay untouched. 

“How did you even get in here?” one of the Ravenclaws demanded. 

Severaas rolled his eyes. 

“The eagle asked me a ridiculously easy riddle. I thought you had better security than this.” He directed the latter to Ragna, who grabbed him by the arm and tugged him out of the common room. 

“Don’t antagonize my students,” she said, tugging him down the corridor. “Now, what’s this about killing a student?”

Severaas stopped. In front of him, Ragna stumbled.

“My  _descendant_ ,“ he said, “he controlled her, made her hunt students….”

He looked down. The floor stretched before him, scuffed, streaked and slightly dull with age.

_The wardstone glowed as it sank into the ground. The stones around it light up with runes._

_Helga smiled._

_“That’s the foundation done,” she said. We should do the walls next.“_

_Rowena frowned as she looked over their plans._

_“We’ll need some way to access the stone,” she said. “We can’t just seal the entire area off like in the plans.”_

_She pointed to a specific part of the plans and the others clustered around to have a look._

_“You’re right,” Godric said. “Especially since we plan on adding more floors.”_

The memory settled into him. The happiness fading like morning mist as grief engraved itself into his bones. Things had been so wonderful back then, but it hadn't lasted. Things never did when he was around. 

“This is my fault,” Severaas said eventually, after the silence had thickened to the point of tangibility. 

“What? _No_ ,” Ragna snapped. “Godric and I were the ones who suggested the basilisk.”

“I am the one who can speak to her. _I_ should have made sure she was better protected.”

He spun. Ragna grabbed his arms, drawing him into a hug.

” _Breathe_. We will figure this out.“

Severaas sucked in a breath, thoughts and possibilities ticking away in his mind.

_“He’s still controlling her.”_

He looked at Ragna expectantly. Ragna stared back, exasperated.

“I have no idea what you just said.  _Please_  speak in English” - she rolled her eyes - “How you manage to keep your parseltongue ability a secret when you speak in it constantly impresses me.”

” _Sorry_ “ - Ragna glared and he cleared his throat- ” sorry. I said that he was still controlling her.“

“How? He’s  _dead_.”

“I don’t know, but I plan to find out.”

“ _We_  will find out,” Ragna corrected. “You’re not doing this alone, not after last time.”

Severaas winced, but nodded. He was glad he hadn’t run into Godric yet. The girls reactions were bad enough.


	9. Heirs

“They think I’m the heir of Slytherin,” Potter said as they walked around the lake. “There’s been ten students petrified and they think  _I’m_ doing it.”

Severaas looked up from his scan of the grass. The snakes must have gone deeper inside the forest which meant that Potter wouldn’t be able to practice his conversational skills. He wasn’t able to speak Parseltongue without a snake present yet. 

“Well,” he said, “I’d rather have you as the heir than Voldermort.”

Was Voldermort still his heir? Severaas made a mental note to go to Gringotts and check. The goblins should have still kept his vaults; he and the other founders were the initial investors of the bank after all. 

Potter stopped and looked at Severaas, incredulous. 

“Really?”

Severaas winced internally. He couldn’t believe he was about to say this. Godric would never let him live it down if he found out. The thought of Godric made his heart lurch. The last thing he had heard Godric say was his name.

“While Slytherin may have been evil,” he began, “you are not. You could change the name, change what it stands for. Voldermort is merely continuing what his ancestor started.”

God, he needed to wash his mouth out now. The words tasted like burnt slime on his tongue, but Potter had relaxed a little.

“I never thought of it that way,” Potter murmured and Severaas could almost see the direction his thoughts were taking. Beyond them, the squid rose from the lake, basking in the sunlight. Severaas had the sudden urge to tickle its tentacles. He pushed it away. That was something Godric would have done. 

“But, I’m not the heir,” Potter said eventually. 

Severaas shrugged. 

“You never know,” he said. “Your mother was muggleborn right?” 

Potter nodded, frowning slightly.  

“There’s a theory in Igor Branby’s ‘Magic and Muggleborns’ that says that all muggleborns are descended from squibs. Perhaps you should get an inheritance test? You never know what family lines may come up. And” - he added, upon seeing Potter’s interested look - “if you turn out to be the Lord of a Most Ancient and Noble house, you can probably file for emancipation. I’d check with the goblins on that though.”

Now, Potter looked even more interested. Severaas smiled a little. Potter would make a most excellent heir. He only hoped, he was his. 


	10. In which Severaas writes a letter

_Vader,_

_How is the experiment coming along? Is Mrs. Lauwens still calling the Magister agenten on you? Please try not to create anymore explosions. I would like to see the house intact when I return for the summer._

_School life has been interesting. I started mentoring a classmate in potions because our potions professor shouldn’t even be called a teacher. He sticks instructions on the board and calls it teaching. It’s terrible! Perhaps you should apply for the position? It’s only the defense one that’s supposed to be cursed._

_I’ve also met some old friends. One of them, Heike, is still upset with me. I believe Ragna is tired of being our go-between. I’ve also made another friend. His name is Harry and he has gifts similar to mine. ~~I was thinking of bringing him home to meet Thera if that is acceptable.~~  Speaking of snakes, I met one in the dungeons. She’s lovely, if a little lonely. Her unfortunate ability to turn one to stone doesn’t help either._

Severaas frowned and scratched that part out. While his father would be happy that he wanted to bring a friend over, he’d wait to ask in the summer. It would be better to deal with whomever was controlling Shamira during winter break. 

_Someone has been forcing her to petrify people. Has your research shown whether or not the imperious works on snakes? I will be staying over during winter break to solve the mystery, so please go to your conference. I know how much you have been wanting to._

He paused, quill hovering over the parchment and dropping ink along the bottom. A sudden ache in his breastbone make him blink back tears. This sounded nothing like him. He bit his lower lip and let the feel of his teeth cut through the darkening fog in his head. Salazar's father had not been kind, but his own would worry. Unfortunately, reassurance would have to wait until summer.

_I have to tell you something, but it's best spoken about in person, over the summer. Please send me some fountain pens, I keep forgetting to bring them along._

~~_Sorry for worrying you,_ ~~

_I miss you,_

_Severaas_


End file.
